News on how Scotland's voluntary sector is responding to the pandemic
Veterans offered virtual support
Help for Heroes has quickly adapted its services for physically and psychologically wounded veterans and serving personnel after having to temporarily close its recovery centre for Scotland and the North of England.
Phoenix House at Catterick Garrison, which provides support for Scottish veterans alongside its fellowship programme in Scotland, has paused face-to-face contact with beneficiaries following government guidelines in the fight against coronavirus.
The military charity is already providing welfare assistance offering the latest benefits advice, counselling sessions, fellowship and support from its veterans clinical liaison team of professionally qualified nurses amongst many other services via phone, Skype and digital platforms.
It is also working on innovative ways to maintain its unrivalled support with plans for virtual sports, health and activity programmes.
The charity is interacting with its beneficiaries through its social media platforms and started adding content to its website this week to specifically help manage anxiety and adapt to this ‘new normal’.
As well as offering top tips on how to engage with the news, it is also uploading videos from its team of qualified expert on breathing techniques and yoga for better sleep which can be viewed online.
Concerns over planned legislation
Emergency coronavirus legislation could remove vital safeguards for adults, a charity has warned.
The National Autistic Society Scotland has raised concerns over plans included in the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill, which will be debated in its entirety in the Scottish Parliament today (1 April).
The charity said the bill will see the suspension of obligations on local authorities to consider the 'past and present wishes' of the adult who lacks capacity when considering care provision. Local authorities would also not be obliged to pursue securing care within the community. This could result in autistic people being placed in inappropriate residential or inpatient care rather than be supported in the community.
Nick Ward, director of the National Autistic Society Scotland, said: “We recognise that Coronavirus poses a public health emergency and action is needed to free up resource within the system as much as possible but we must not allow some of the most vulnerable in our society to end up in inappropriate care.
“For many years, sadly we have often seen the views of this vulnerable group and their families ignored resulting in people being placed in residential or inpatient care when they could in fact be supported in community care close to their families. We are urging Scottish Government to introduce this only as a last resort and if they are to introduce to monitor very carefully.”
Fears over lack of protection for social workers
Social workers are making ‘DIY protection kits’ for home visits due to inadequate access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
The issue was raised in an open letter sent to Jeane Freeman, cabinet secretary for health and sport and Maree Todd, minister for children and young people, outlining concerns of the social work workforce shared in a survey from the Scottish Association of Social Work.
Alistair Brown, national director of the Scottish Association of Social Work, said: “Social workers across Scotland are facing the immense challenge of trying to maintain the vital support they deliver to vulnerable children and adults during the coronavirus crisis.
“We have had a concerning number of reports of members making their own protection kits for home visits, including the use of thermal flasks, bowls of water and soap due to inadequate supplies being issued from employers. Social workers, like other front-line staff, should not be required to carry out face to face duties without appropriate PPE.
“We do not doubt the concerns of our members, outlined in the letter sent today, are shared by the Scottish Government and we look forward to action and a response being advanced as a priority to minimize the risk of infection - not just to social workers and those they support – but to the general public.”
Staying connected to the wilderness
The John Muir Trust has launched a new weekly e-newsletter called Wild Inside to share fun activities and inspiring stories that connects people to wildness and each other during the period of the coronavirus pandemic.
The trust is encouraging people to follow government advice to stay at home and protect those in our communities who are most vulnerable: connecting with nature only when it’s safe to do so, online, from our windows, in our gardens or while getting our daily exercise local to where we live. To support this the trust will release a new issue of Wild Inside each Tuesday morning, suitable for anyone that would like a little bit of wildness in their inbox each week.
Regular features include: activities to support home schooling and learning; inspirational reads; listens and watches. Wild Inside will also share some of the amazing and creative ways people are using nature to help connect and support each other during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kevin Lelland, the trust’s head of development and communications, said: “If we all stay home, we will see fewer new cases of Covid-19. That means keeping away from the wild places we love for now as we focus on keeping ourselves and others in our communities safe and healthy. We hope Wild Inside can bring a little bit of joy into people’s lives each week as we share magical stories and inspiring activities that draw attention to how we feel about the wild. Wild nature is relevant to everyone's health and well-being and we hope to provide something special each week that gives people a reason to reach out, share and connect with others during these difficult times.”
You can subscribe to the newsletter online.
Information for social landlords
The Scottish Housing Regulator has written to all social landlords with more information on how it is adjusting its approach in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
In its letter, the regulator recognises landlords’ extremely hard work to manage and mitigate the impact of coronavirus on their services and to safeguard their tenants, people who are homeless and other service users, and to look after staff’s wellbeing and safety. Almost all landlords have contacted the regulator over the last fortnight to tell it how the pandemic is affecting key services.
Annual regulatory returns, which open in April and May, will have extended deadlines. The letter states: “If you are in a position to, you can provide this information to us. But please give us this information only if you have the capacity to do so. Do not let it divert you from your focus on delivering services in these very difficult circumstances.”
The letter highlights the work of the Social Housing Resilience Group. It explains that the regulator is finalising a short monthly return to gather critical information from each landlord to help understand the scale and nature of disruption and to help plan coordinated responses.
It also asks landlords to continue to provide the regulator with notifiable events to inform it about the impact of the pandemic.
If you are a third sector organisation or you want to help others in the community, check out SCVO's Coronavirus Community Assistance Directory
